Explosions erupted throughout the vast cavern. This was the third day without rest or respite. With any luck, it would be the last. Carl, covered in wounds and with an unstable aura, was like a Grim Reaper. Any spirit that crawled out of the spatial burrows was met with the sharp end of an arrow. The display wouldn't have been possible without his new weapon.
Carl made a drawing motion, and the golden bangle on his arm flashed. The next moment, he was holding a longbow exuding a primordial aura, an arrow already nocked on a shimmering string. Upon release, the bow faded, only to reappear moments later. Its existence mirrored Carl's needs, without any cost to his Cosmic Energy. When a group of cloud spirits manifested nearby, the weapon transformed into a massive bardiche that tore them apart.
Iz could naturally have incinerated the interlopers on her own, but doing so would have meant giving up on the opportunity. The flighty flame would immediately phase into another dimension if it sensed another fire in its proximity, and Iz didn't have many attacks that didn't involve some form of hellish inferno. Besides, weaving her cage was delicate work that couldn't be interrupted.
Hard work pays off; the flame was almost hers. If it was a flame at all. The repositories back home were supposed to list every single Spiritual Flame, even those only existing in theory. Yet nothing matched the characteristics of this flame that could only be perceived by a powerful enough Soul Sense.
It was an offhanded mention by the Hall Master of the Celestial Workshop that started the journey. A mystery connected to the Era's earliest days, unearthed by the Imperial Road and coveted by the Sangha. Sightings of uncharted Authority that eluded pursuit. Following the clues eventually led them to a destroyed palace in the depths of the Left Imperial Expanse.
Iz suspected it to be the ruins of a failed Eternal Heritage, a corner of which had embedded itself in the continent during its formation. The cavern they occupied was right beneath the palace, having been opened up by a powerful explosion. Countless years later, Iz could still sense the immense might in the scorch marks on the walls.
The heritage's contents had been absorbed by the land, causing a series of transformations. One of the products was Carl's new weapon; the other, the invisible flame. The flame seed itself held seemingly boundless potential, but that wasn't the true reason Iz worked so hard to transplant it into her Soul Aperture.
The unusual flame had been born from the collision between the death of the supreme heritage of a previous Era and the birth of a Primal Heaven. It held the coordinates of a corner of the Heavens thought lost in the great turn of the Eras. A complete domain of uncontested Supremacy that should perfectly complement the Empyrean Flame. A continuation of their heritage, discovered and claimed through her own efforts.
An hour later, the last preparations were in place. Iz extended her hand, sparking a violent reaction from the flame seed. As though sensing a threat, it immediately tried to teleport away. Before it could escape, millions of miniature runes made of purest fire ignited around them. They formed an extremely complicated mesh that blocked all directions but one.
The flame acted on pure instinct and teleported in the only direction that Iz had left open. The next moment, it appeared in the middle of a complex diagram inside her soul. Three primordial avatars surrounded it, sealing it in place. Struggle as it might, the flame seed could only acquiesce to the drop of essence blood that bound it to Iz's will.
A surge of information poured into Iz's mind, and a heartfelt smile appeared on her face. For the first time in a long while, she felt genuine excitement regarding her cultivation, and she had a decent idea why. Until now, she had largely followed a path that had been laid out for her. Every stone that made up her path was directly or indirectly supplied by her family. This Ninth Dimension Flame wasn't as overbearing as her triumvirate flames, but it was hers.
The feeling of creating a path of her own was intoxicating. Iz couldn't wait to see what would happen when the seed sprouted. The narrow road of Empyrean Supremacy had suddenly gained countless branches. It would all depend on how she chose to incorporate the seed's long-forgotten Authority. Even the feeling of not knowing whether her decision would birth something groundbreaking or lead to a dead end was exciting. Iz could see why Zac was so obsessed with cultivation. He was a true progenitor.
Iz spent the next few minutes getting the flame seed settled. It thankfully didn't have any real intelligence of its own. At most, it could be likened to a young beast cub, reacting on instinct to stimuli. When she opened her eyes, she found Carl waiting nearby.
"Looks like the spirits had enough. Everything wrapped up on your end?" Carl asked.
"All done," Iz nodded. "We should leave. Taking the seed has disturbed the balance. The heritage will likely teleport again."
"You're probably right. The tablet is vibrating like crazy," Carl agreed.
The two quickly returned the way they came. Iz sensed she might be able to use the unique abilities of her new flame to bring them to the surface, but she kept the urge in check. While she had the means to survive a failed experiment, Carl might not be so lucky. How would she face Lissa in the future if something happened?
A few minutes later, they were back on the surface. Less than a mile away was the Imperial Road Waystation that had issued the maintenance request. The cave they left through closed on its own the moment they emerged, and the tablet in Carl's hands shattered.
"To think the reason behind a slightly sluggish energy transfer was the appearance of such an extraordinary remnant," Carl muttered as the last traces of the Cataclysmic Heritage disappeared. "That greedy foreman would turn green with envy if he found out. Or all the disciples who couldn't be bothered with such a low-paying mission."
"They weren't fated," Iz calmly said. "Without holding the tablet or understanding the circumstances, the Ninth Dimension Palace would simply have relocated upon being approached. They would have completed the mission without putting in any effort, thinking it their good fortune."
"Makes you wonder what else you might have missed—"
Carl suddenly stopped and turned west. Iz followed suit, her eyes growing wide as the Anima Court's pillar was suddenly swallowed by darkness. It didn't make sense. It still only had six halos. Had someone ignited three halos at once and concluded the Anima Court's unresolved destiny in one swoop?
Iz's brows furrowed when a faded projection of a gargantuan canine with a deep wound appeared in the pillar's place. It silently roared at the sky, casting off a dusting of gold before fading. The Outer Court's pillar returned the next second, now with a seventh halo adorning it. Iz couldn't understand why the appearance of a halo would create such a spectacle, and the distance was too great to glean anything.
"That's a shame," Carl muttered. "I'm sure the boss will be disappointed."
"Come again? What does unrest in the Anima Court have to do with Zachary Atwood?" Iz said with intrigue, her intuition telling her something interesting was afoot.
"What else could it be? The boss was obviously trying to blow it up. It looks like he fell just short. Now he'll probably try something even crazier when we leave this place," Carl sighed.
"How are you so certain that it was related to him? He should be in the Hollow and Mercurial Courts," Iz countered, once more regretting that she returned the mirror. She had a feeling it might show something very interesting right about now.
"Who else would try to blow up a Court?" Carl shrugged as he scratched his chin. "Besides, I could sense it. That dog's wound was filled with the Dao of Death. That's the boss's calling card."
"Sense it? Not even I—" Iz's voice caught in her throat as she felt a weak flicker ripple through the Grand Tapestry.
Only through her grandmother's blessing was she able to filter out the source and identify it as an ancient Dao of Death. While unfamiliar, Iz had a decent idea of its origin. The struggle over the Primo's relic was no secret. She just wasn't clear how or why it had popped up in the Anima Court. More importantly, she couldn't understand just how Carl Elrod could discern the truth before she did.
"... I'm sure he'll do better next time," Iz eventually said.
"That's what I'm afraid of," Carl said with a long-suffering expression.
A smile tugged at Iz's lips. She would miss traveling with this curious man. "Either way, thank you for protecting me while I handled my affairs. Few on this trail could have persisted as well as you did."
"Don't mention it. Literally," Carl said with a serious expression. "I've already missed a whole year of Ella's childhood. I respect the boss, but I absolutely can't have him bring me on another half-cocked adventure after this. Besides, I wouldn't have gotten my hands on my new weapon without you leading the way."
"Speaking of, be careful about flaunting that bangle of yours. It's... special. Its properties would likely draw the greed of high-grade cultivators," Iz said. "Some of my uncles would probably consider robbing you if they saw it."
"WHAT?! You little troublemaker!" Carl roared at his arm as he frantically tried to rip off the bangle.
Iz shook her head. She wondered how her friend would react if he knew that his new "Middle D-grade Spirit Tool" was actually a B-grade Divine Tool born from nature. The bangle only needed time and resources to recover its strength. If it could seize some Authority that matched its path, it could even take the next step. While not as good as her soulflame, it was indeed enough to make the hearts of Autarchs burn with greed.
A soft cry filled the air as two new loops appeared to further secure the bangle to Carl's arm. "Stop it, Master!"
"I took you in because you were lonely, and this is how you repay me?" Carl said through gritted teeth, reluctantly giving up on discarding his weapon.
"Don't listen to that stupid girl. All looks and no brains, that one," the childish voice said in a pitiful tone. "Look at me! Who'd ever spare poor old me a second glance!"
The next moment, the bangle lost all of its luster. It even gained a couple of scratches as it began emitting the wholly unimpressive aura of a Low D-grade treasure.
"... Fine. But you better not cause trouble back home. I'll bury you inside a latrine if I'm forced to stay away from my family because of you," Carl relented.
'Girl, you better not ruin my good thing. I don't care who your elders are; I'll stuff you into a sack and beat you with rocks until you call me grandma,' the Divine Spirit transmitted with enough force to make Iz's soul ache.
When speaking to Iz, the spirit's voice carried none of the feigned weakness from before. While annoyed, Iz washed her hands of the matter. Warning Carl once was good enough. Truthfully, she was afraid that the possessive spirit would make good on her threats. Besides, the situation was quite interesting.
The whole thing went against all reason. Iz could have understood the situation if the spirit was using Carl to sneak out of the Left Imperial Expanse before the seniors descended on the continent. That clearly wasn't the case. The spirit willingly entered a true bond with her new owner, unbeknownst to him. Such a bond was incredibly difficult to break. Her spirit was almost guaranteed to collapse, meaning she was in it for the long run.
As such, Iz stopped worrying about it. Much like his superior, Carl Elrod couldn't be judged by common sense. The ancient spirit liked him enough to act like a little girl in front of him, and that was good enough for Iz.
"I take it you have no interest in the Left Imperial Palace?" Iz said as they walked toward the teleporter that would bring them back to Farsee Court. "There should be even better opportunities waiting for us there."
"Even better ones?" Carl said, fear on his face, decisively shaking his head. "No thank you. I'll stay here and keep an eye on the Farsee Court. Hopefully, I'll be able to check out early. The boss is your problem now."
Iz glanced toward Anima Court as the teleporter activated, a smile tugging at her lips. "May the Heavens protect me."
-------------------
A persistent silence surrounded the black tower. The few beasts who dared brave its dangers had become test subjects to its only resident. Their bisected bodies were strewn around the ground, their deaths adding to the tower's ominous aura. Regarded as one of the unsolvable Memory Roots of the Wekaia Forest, it was commonly known as the Selfish Spike.
It collected the fae magic of the night seven days in a row. On the eighth night, it would lash out, annihilating the emotions of those who'd wandered too close. It was called selfish because it didn't just destroy the sensations of others, it robbed them and kept them to itself. The tower was growing taller every year, every brick representing the end of a wayward beast. Among them, there were naturally a few unlucky cultivators who'd overestimated themselves.
That wasn't to say the Selfish Spike represented certain death. It was occasionally used as a training ground by Inner Disciples. Resisting the tower's pull could help stabilize one's Dao Heart. Others offered their emotions willingly, discarding sentiments they felt stood in the way of their Dao.
Thea didn't particularly agree with the name. On the contrary, she believed that Selfless Spike was a more accurate name. Every night, it took the wild energies of the night and used them to seal one of the seven sensations. While she didn't know what had happened to the Daynight Dreamer to create such an odd phenomenon, she knew what it represented.
It was failure.
The Selfish Spike was severing its emotions to accomplish something. Except, by the time all Seven Sensations were locked away, the tower had forgotten its original purpose. The accumulated forces went out of control, harming anything nearby. Like Sisyphus, the tower began its cycle anew.
Thea had spent over a month atop the tower after preparing twice as long, and her resilience had finally paid off. The fractals corresponding to the Selfish Spike's seventh night were successfully integrated, completing the exceedingly complex pattern that made up her new skill. A surge of power coursed through her body, and she eagerly opened her status screen.
[D] Seven Day Seal - Proficiency: Late (Peak). When the Cosmos is sealed, only the sword remains. Upgradeable.
Thea looked at the text with glee. It was the first time she'd seen this kind of listing on a skill, and it wasn't difficult to understand what it meant. She'd actually managed to engrave a Peak D-grade skill from nothing. However, it couldn't display its full strength since she'd just stepped into Late D-grade herself.
A glance showed that she had also gained four titles. Three were related to creating skills, the greatest of which confirmed Thea's hope. She had successfully created a skill that directly interacted with Destiny. The achievement came with a hefty boost to her Luck, which resulted in another title for her Luck crossing the next threshold.
Together, the boost to her Luck was significant and brought her more joy than the gains to her other attributes. She'd seen the effect of massive Luck on Zac. While she had no hopes of catching up with that madman, the boost would definitely come in handy. You couldn't have too much Luck when hunting the Buddhist Sangha.
And it was precisely for this purpose that she'd put so much effort into creating a Supreme Pathbound skill, going so far as to exchange more than half her merit. [Seven Day Seal] was an exceptional skill that had two states. The first was a passive protection against meddling with her Karma and Destiny. If the skill wasn't powerful enough to block the manipulation, it would at least give a warning.
Thea had already acquired a fatewarding item, but one could never have too many layers of protection. Most importantly, this skill covered aspects that her equipment did not, and it would keep going as long as she had Cosmic Energy left. Case in point, she could already feel her new skill doing its magic, shedding her of invisible threads she didn't know existed.
The second function was an active boost. It could be considered both a berserking skill and a defensive skill. Activating it would seal away all emotions, leaving only the sword in her mind. It would essentially render her immune to anything that could influence her emotional state, which included the pathbreaking pressure of the Buddhist Dharma.
Furthermore, by sealing away everything except the sword, her Sword Intent would temporarily increase by a whole stage. That was a lethality boost almost as significant as upgrading a Dao Branch into an Earthly Dao. Thea eagerly activated the skill to confirm its effects.
At that moment, the world ended.
The sky briefly flickered in hues of gold, and cracks looking like broken Sanskrit spread across the horizon. Then, an incomprehensibly powerful force swallowed everything that existed. A wave of apocalyptic forces of destruction devoured the forest and blotted out the sky. Thea, who had been given a front-row seat atop the tower, keeled over. If not for [Seven Day Seal], her mind might have directly shattered from the impact of facing a force approaching the Terminus.
Curled in a fetal position, Thea vaguely heard a furious roar; it barely registered. Her very existence was withering away. Then it ended as quickly as it began. A different silence settled in the forest. It was the silence of a world holding its breath. Minutes passed, and [Seven Day Seal] ended. A frightened cry broke the silence as Thea was forced to face the emotions that she had locked away.
It took her almost an hour before she rose on unsteady feet. Peering over the wall, there was only devastation. A clean line of nothingness started just five miles from her current location. The ground was simply gone as far as she could see, and the chasm was at least thousands of miles deep.
Thea was still coming to terms with her brush with death when a second change swept through the forest. A pulse of Imperial Faith descended, and the world reverted. The forest was back in place, though the silence lingered. Thea could also tell that the forest was there in form, not function. Its spirituality would need more time to recover.
Thea wiped away her tears and jumped down from the Selfish Spike. The next moment, she had already disappeared among the trees. Ignoring all common sense, she rushed toward the source of the destruction. There was no mistaking the golden fluctuations before the world went crazy. The Sangha was lurking inside the forest, and a terrifying existence had struck them with a blast of Supreme Death. Meanwhile, the Natural Formations and taboo zones had been cleared out, providing an open road.
This was the perfect opportunity to kick some monks while they were down.